BOOK REVIEW: The Winnie we knew and the Winnie who is still with us
Sisonke Msimang's book sets out to make sense of a complicated life
The Resurrection of Winnie Mandela Sisonke MsimangJonathan Ball Publishers On April 2 2018 the controversial anti-apartheid icon Winnie Madikizela-Mandela died. Soon afterwards, an intense contestation began in the public sphere over what her contribution to the country was and what her legacy is. While the traction of articles and trending affirmations such as #IAMWINNIE and #SHEDIDNOTDIESHEMULTIPLIED ensured that Winnie’s contribution was not erased, some commentary served to revive the “Lady Macdela” trope that had followed her in the new SA. It is in the context of these polarising views of Winnie that we have Sisonke Msimang’s contribution, an intentional attempt to exalt and redeem Winnie. “On the one hand, I felt the need to protect the memory of the woman who had done so much and suffered so greatly at the hands of apartheid. On the other, I felt deeply uncomfortable about the years that had marred her life and about the shadow that violence has cast on her political legacy....
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